EdX

Practical Improvement Science in Health Care: A Roadmap for Getting Results (edX)

Offered by HarvardX, Harvard University,

Learn the skills and tools of improvement science to make positive changes in health, healthcare, and your daily life. Developed through a collaboration between HarvardX and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, PH 556x: Practical Improvement Science in Health Care: A roadmap for getting results will provide learners with the valuable skills and simple, well-tested tools they need to translate promising innovations or evidence into practice.

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A group of expert faculty will explore a scientific approach to improvement — a practical, rigorous methodology that includes a theory of change, measurable aims, and iterative, incremental small tests of change to determine if improvement concepts can be implemented effectively in practice. Faculty will present this science through the lens of improving health and health care, but will also share examples of how improvement can (and does) influence our daily lives.

Each week, learners will dive into engaging, interactive materials and relevant resources to start building an improvement toolkit that will serve them long after the six-week course ends. Learners will immediately put their new skills to the test as they work each week on a personal improvement project that will show them the power of the science that has improved healthcare — and other industries — around the world for decades.
The only prerequisite for the course is curiosity, but the reward is a lifetime of improvement.

What you'll learn:

Why improvement science is valuable in health and healthcare.
Why understanding a system is critical to improving a process.
The value of conducting iterative tests of change.
How an improvement project evolves into reliable, standard work.
How to design and execute a personal improvement project, including an aim, measures, and tests of change.

Course Syllabus

Lesson 1: What is the Science of Improvement?
Lesson 2: Applying the Model for Improvement
Lesson 3: Introduction to Measurement for Improvement
Lesson 4: Practical Tools that Support Improvement (including a seven-piece toolkit)
Lesson 5: Using Systems Principles to Spread Improvement
Lesson 6: Working within Interprofessional Teams
Lesson 7: Implementing Sustainable Improvement Work

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